Cameron vows to end 'spurious' abuse cases against UK troops

LONDON – Prime Minister David Cameron wants to make it harder for Iraqis to bring claims of abuse against British troops.

Cameron said Friday that he had asked ministers to crack down on "spurious" legal claims. Measures could include limiting lawyers' "no win, no fee" arrangements and imposing a U.K. residence test for legal aid.

Cameron accused some law firms of creating "an industry trying to profit from spurious claims lodged against our brave servicemen and women."

But Nicholas Mercer, the army's chief legal adviser in Iraq after the 2003 invasion, said some claims of abuse have proven true.

He said the Ministry of Defense had paid 20 million pounds ($29 million) to settle 326 abuse cases, and "anyone who has fought the MoD knows that they don't pay out for nothing.